Among one of the oldest practices performed by man is the breeding and caring of animals to provide meat to feed himself and family. A variety of restraining devices to aid in the handling of the animals have been utilized in the past, although these devices have been complicated in their construction. Typically, these devices have been limited in shape to accommodate a particular sized animal and have not been adapted to allow handling the animals for more than one purpose. These devices have an opening on either end through which the nose and bottom of the animal extend and are not adjustable in size.
The devices utilized for restraining the animal are in need of substantial improvement in that the devices first utilized by man, and even those utilized at the present, require complex construction and are not easy to use. Further, such devices are often expensive to make and require substantial maintenance in order that the purpose for which the device is made is fully realized. Moreover, the devices are generally designed to accommodate only one size animal for one purpose, and thus, it it necessary to have more than one device for restraining and handling a variety of animals; for example, different devices would be needed to hold a pig in order to neuter, vaccinate, ring the nose, detusk, or work on the hemorrhoid of the pig.
When the device is in use, it must withstand great tension since the animal must be substantially restrained and made immovable in preparation for and to facilitate the various tasks that need to be performed. Therefore, a durable, yet somewhat flexible, device which can be repeatedly and easily used are important characteristics which a versatile restraining device should comprise.
Accordingly, devices for restraining animals, particularly small animals, are in need of substantial improvement for the ease of use, increased flexibility, economy of construction, and adjustability for accommodating more than one size of animal for various procedures that need to be performed on the animal.